MTAP's Hot Metal Musicals Incubator to Present Free Reading of KITTY, 11/9

Following its sold out Hot Metal Musicals, the inaugural showcase of new musical theatre work, MTAP-Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce the Hot Metal Musicals Incubator.

The Incubator will provide the critical elements necessary to propel a work in development forward - presentation opportunities and an audience. The first initiative in this effort began over the summer with an encore reading of DEAR BOY by Jeanne Drennan and David Berlin, which allowed the authors to hear their revised work and discuss it afterward with the audience.

The next project is KITTY, with book by John Keating and music and lyrics by Sandra Lowell, which will be presented as a reading on Monday, November 9, 2015, at 8:00 pm at Carnegie Stage (formerly Off the Wall), 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie. The reading is free and open to the public, with reservations encouraged at www.artful.ly/store/events/7421.

The Incubator allows a public audience to become involved in the early stages of the new musical's long and often arduous journey toward a full production. Creative teams benefit by working with a director and sometimes a dramaturg, along with the artistic and production team. The collaboration often helps to illuminate or clarify the storytelling or song intention as the team prepares the work for presentation.

John Keating and Sandra Lowell have been working together on KITTY for a number of years and now have a musical ready to be put "on its feet" for an invited and public audience. Set in Ireland and England during the turbulent 1880s, Kitty presents the story of Irish Home Rule leader, Charles Stewart Parnell, and his lover, Katharine "Kitty" O'Shea, whose estranged husband, Willie, exploited his wife's social connection to Parnell for his own advancement. As Parnell is succeeding in his cause, Willie files for divorce. Once the scandal becomes public, Parnell is forced out of power, dooming the Home Rule movement but not the union of the lovers.

MTAP's creative producer Stephanie Riso serves as lead producer of the reading and will also be playing the role of Kitty. Stephanie has over 25 years professional performing and producing experience in Pittsburgh and played founding roles with three arts initiatives (PICT Classic Theatre, Cabaret Pittsburgh and MTAP). Mark Fleischer, Associate Artistic Director at the Pittsburgh CLO, serves the director/dramaturg role for this reading. Prior to moving to Pittsburgh several years ago, Mark was the Producing Artistic Director of Adirondack Theatre Festival (ATF) in Glen Falls, NY, and brings to the project extensive experience in developing new musical theatre.

The acting company includes Jonathan Visser as Parnell and Joe Jackson as Captain O'Shea, along with Jill Keating, Laura Barletta, Hilary Caldwell, Joseph Carr, Andrew William Miller, and Ryan Bergman. James Rushin serves as music director, with Molly McCarter as stage manager and Brennan Felbinger as production assistant.

MTAP's focus is new musicals, and it seeks to foster collaboration between musical theatre artists in the region and create opportunities for the development, presentation, and production of new musical theatre. Visit mtap.weebly.com for more information. MTAP-Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit service organization.

Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh (MTAP) is a diverse group of Pittsburgh regional artists working to create and express stories through the musical theatre lens and to find professional outlets for their stories. There is a roster of over 100 artists, producers, performers, writers, and musicians, invited to participate and are informed of activities. MTAP meets one Sunday a month in Squirrel Hill. During the meeting there are presentations of new work, updates and discussions about ideas, a report on work in progress, and from time to time special guests.

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